The West Lancs Football League rarely disappoints! Ever since I started filming football matches back in 2017, this league has provided more goals and more action than any other that I have covered.
Saturday's game between Astley & Buckshaw and Pause United was no different!
I chose to cover this game because I had never filmed either team before, I always try to cover as many different clubs as possible so everyone gets a fair chance to showcase their ability!
While it may not have been the most glamourous matches, on paper at least, with it being a Division 2 fixture, it was still a game I was keen to get to and it was certainly worth it in the end!
The weather was very hit and miss! One minute the rain came pouring down, the next the sum was out! Luckily, I always come prepared and the camera and equipment was well protected from the elements!
Gone are the days where my camera is left exposed to monsoon-like conditions! Been there, done that!
There is no worse feeling, as a videographer, than your camera getting wet, leaving you with a faulty camcorder that stops working and needs to be left to dry out in a big bowl of rice for a few days!
I arrived at Brookfields Park around an hour before kickoff and I was actually surprised by what I saw.
With Astley & Buckshaw playing in the West Lancs Football League for the first time this season, they play in Division 2.
Because of that, I naively expected to see very basic facilities. I was wrong! Very wrong!
The club share their home ground with Chorley RUFC, which probably explains why they have such an impressive bar!
The pitch looked in fantastic condition and I was impressed by the the terracing down one side of the ground. It was obvious that this club had big plans. they clearly don't want to just be playing in the second division of the West Lancs League.
It's also worth noting that their opponents, Pause United, are also making their debut in this league, so this game really was the battle of the newcomers!
Ironically, the game was Paused early on because of a pitch invasion! People running onto the field has become a regular occurrence in football recently, and the people involved are usually attention seeking morons desperate to grab their 10 seconds of fame on TikTok or Facebook.
Fortunately, that wasn't the case on this occasion because the pitch invader was actually a dog!
To be fair to the little fella, he had the pace of Kylian Mbappe, the movement of Erling Haaland and the engine of Roy Keane!
Once he'd put his shift for the day, he sprinted off the pitch, headed straight into the car park and the game was able to continue.
Once the match resumed, the home side opened the scoring when after some nice link up play down the right inside the penalty area, the ball was crossed to the back post and a left footed half volley by Chris Ward was deflected into the net.
Astley & Buckshaw then doubled their lead in the 18th minute when a pinpoint cross from the right was headed goalward superbly from six yards out. The hosts were denied by an outstanding goal line clearance but the Pause United defence could do nothing about the rebound as Kurt Robinson made it 2-0 from close range.
Pause United were given a lifeline in the 66th minute when Astley & Buckshaw were caught in possession in the centre circle in their own half and the visitors capitalised thanks to a great run and superb finish from their centre forward who made it 2-1.
Despite a late rally though, Wes Bajrallu killed the game off in the last minute when Astley & Buckshaw cleared a Pause United corner, they counter attacked through the middle and went right up the other end of the pitch to score.
Overall, the home team did deserve to win the game. They created the most chances and were the better team over the 90 minutes.
Pause United played well themselves though, they put in a dogged performance and could have scored a few more goals themselves on another day.
You can watch the match highlights of the game below!
